Words matter, especially when it comes to forming relationships and communicating effectively with your clients. To help you become more aware of the power of your words, here are some of the most common verbal phrases that trainers and teachers use, along with some psychologically more functional alternatives.

If your clients don't make healthy choices outside of the gym, the best training program in the world can't help them. Don’t get frustrated—get informed. Here are seven reasons your personal-training clients may have a hard time sticking to their health and fitness goals.

What separates the great personal trainers from the merely good ones? If you’ve made it your goal to be among the best in your field, you’ll want to check out these seven habits of highly successful personal trainers.

With so many new exercisers flooding the gyms this time of year, it can be a challenge to figure out how to keep them coming back when their resolve starts to wane. How can we keep them excited and engaged? By getting creative, explains ACE Certified pro Elizabeth Andrews. Here are some fun, creative ideas to add to your clients’ workouts that will keep them mentally and physically stimulated, while having some fun and keeping boredom at bay.

“When you know the why, you are willing to try,” says ACE Certified pro Jonathan Ross. If your clients understand why and how the program you’ve designed for them will help them reach their goals, they will be more motivated and, therefore, more likely to succeed with their training. Learn how to help your clients find their “why” and reach their goals for the New Year.

Whether you’re working one on one or with a group, your most important role as a health and fitness professional is to teach your clients how to exercise smarter before working harder. Here are seven strategies that can help your clients and students achieve results by promoting safety before intensity.

Every trainer has had—or will have—a client who begins with unrealistic goals. ACE Certified pro Jonathan Ross explains how to turn the challenge of unrealistic goals into an opportunity to help steer clients toward realistic, short-term goals that will provide continued motivation and increased chances for success.

When designing strength-training programs for beginning exercisers, keep it simple, urges ACE Exercise Physiologist Jacque Ratliff, who explains how to use the ACE Integrated Fitness Training® Model to create simple and appropriately challenging workouts for clients who are new to exercise.

If you’ve been active your whole life, it can be a challenge to understand the mindset of a beginning exerciser. Novice exercisers require coaching strategies that differ from the traditional, everyday exerciser. These methods, tips and guidelines will help you understand the mindset of beginning exercisers and what it takes to help them reach their goals.

The New Year is a great time to try out new equipment and training techniques, but how do you know which ones are worth your time and money? ACE Certified pro Jessica Matthews helps eliminates the guesswork and offers 10 innovative training tools that top trainers use with their clients.

Why do people fail at their New Year’s resolutions an average of six times? Unrealistic goals. It is easy to set our clients—and ourselves—up for failure if we are not realistic with goals. Here are four key steps for helping our clients make and stick to their goals in 2015.

Looking for ways to streamline your business tasks and free up more of your valuable time? All businesses are built upon systems. Here are the most important systems you need for saving time, staying organized and growing client relationships.

November is National Diabetes Month and, given the increasing prevalence of this disease, it is essential that fitness professionals understand how to design safe and effective exercise programs that take into account the unique needs of those with diabetes. Here are five things that every fitness professional should know about diabetes.

Excited about the new iPhone 6 and the Apple Watch? ACE Chief Science Officer Cedric X. Bryant, Ph.D., attended Apple’s launch event earlier this month and shares his thoughts on how the Apple Watch will affect health and fitness professionals.

The technology and fitness worlds are buzzing as Apple gears up for a new announcement regarding the iPhone 6, iOS8 and the closely guarded Apple iWatch. Combined with Apple’s previously announced HealthKit, these products are poised to have a major impact on the health and fitness industries. Fitness technology expert Ted Vickey explains how personal trainers and health coaches can reap huge benefits from these new technologies.

Do you have what it takes to be a personal trainer? ACE Certified Pro Sabrena Merrill explains the four signs that could mean you’re ready to take on the challenge of helping others achieve their fitness goals.

Do you know what motivates your clients? Learning the deeper, driving forces behind your clients’ lives can help you discover the right formula for helping them stay motivated and committed to exercising regularly and eating healthfully, explains ACE Certified Pro Jonathan Ross. After all, when we are drawn to the things that make life healthy and fulfilling, we can do them easily without willpower.

Reducing abdominal fat—a common goal of many who have an android body type—can be a challenge. While spot reduction remains a myth, there are specific workouts you can use with your clients that take into account their individual body types. In part 2 of this two-part series, Jacque Ratliff explains how to use moderate-intensity aerobic training and total-body resistance-training circuits to help clients reduce stubborn abdominal fat that could negatively affect their health.

Did you hear about the fitness pro who was kicked out of a SoulCycle studio and banned from attending future classes? The news caused quite a stir, to the say the least. Shannon Fable weighs in on the controversy and offers some incredibly insightful principles to guide you in your life and work as a fitness professional.

Did you know you can do a lot more with a barbell than just the basic chest press? This versatile tool is great for performing multijoint movements that target a large amount of muscle tissue. Plus, exercises like squats, deadlifts and presses help to strengthen functional movements that we use everyday. Here is an effective total-body workout that will enhance both strength and flexibility.

One of the most important things personal trainers can do for their clients is to help them exercise consistently. Group fitness classes are a great option for most people, especially on non-training days. Here are some ways you can help your clients take advantage of the wide range of classes available at most clubs.

Could some of your training choices and approaches inadvertently turn your clients off from you—or even exercise altogether? Fitness pro Jonathan Ross explains five common mistakes many trainers do—often in a sincere desire to motivate and push their clients—that ultimately may do more harm than good.

The NFL Combine, where college players perform a number of grueling tests to see if they have what it takes to compete at the professional level, is coming up soon. If you’re looking for some fun, interactive programming ideas for your personal-training clients or group-fitness participants, this event offers a great opportunity for your participants to “compete” against the best of the best by performing the same tests and drills.

With the start of a New Year, have you been considering a new career? If you have a strong desire to help others achieve their health and fitness goals and teach them how to love and appreciate fitness as much as you do, it might be time to start seriously considering becoming a personal trainer.

Sandbells® by Hyperwear are changing the way personal trainers design exercise programs. We recently caught up with Master Trainer John Sinclair to learn how Sandbells can be used to create fun, challenging and engaging workout programs for clients.

Even at the start of a New Year, when motivation to lose weight is at its peak, helping your clients stick to their programs can be challenging. Here are some great tools and tactics you can use to help your clients reach their goals and create meaningful change that will last a lifetime.

There is a lot of buzz around metabolic training these days, but few understand how to really maximize the benefits that come from this type of training. Fitness pro Shana Martin explains how to help your clients get the “biggest bang” for their workout buck and offers a quick and effective workout that is designed to accomplish a large amount of work in a very short amount of time.

Whether you’re a seasoned veteran or just starting your career as a fitness professional, you’re probably on the lookout for new products and tools that can help you do your job better. Did you know that ACE recently created an entire website packed with information and services that can help you educate and provide much-needed support for your clients? Here is a sampling of some of the great free tools offered on ACEfit.com.

Curious about the Power Plate and what benefits it might offer your clients? Master Trainer Derrick Price explains how the Power Plate works and why you might want to consider tapping into the many benefits of whole-body vibration training offered by this unique fitness device.

Has traditional strength-training equipment started disappearing from your gym? In the past year and a half or so, many clubs have started to replace fancy weight machines in favor of creating open space for more functional training. Learn how this new trend may be offer huge benefits to both fitness professionals and their clients.

Tragic and senseless acts such as the Boston Marathon bombings can leave many people feeling traumatized and stressed, even if they have no personal connections to the incident. If you find your clients are struggling to deal with these recent events, Dr. Michael Mantell explains how you can help them utilize wellness tools to cope with the emotional aftermath of this horrific tragedy.

Are those New Year’s fitness resolutions already a distant memory? Did you get tired of slogging through the cold and ice only to wait in line for a piece of equipment or fight your way into an exercise class? Don’t worry—there is still time to get cranking with a workout program that will banish winter blahs and have you ready to bare those arms once the first flowers start poking their way up from the soil.

When it comes to making a workout more enjoyable, nothing quite matches the power of music. And the science proves it—from increasing intensity and reducing how difficult exercise feels, to enhancing explosiveness and lactate clearance during recovery, music improves nearly every aspect of working out.

When it comes to fitness, doing the same workout over and over again is not only boring, it may even lead to burnout. The beginning of the year is the perfect time to avoid this common trap by setting new goals and challenging yourself to new things. Here’s some great inspiration from top trainers on how you can switch things up in your fitness routine in 2013.

The BOSU® Balance Trainer is an ideal tool for helping your clients develop ideal dynamic balance. Here are five innovative exercises that require the body to work in a coordinated fashion for efficient and effective movement.

The energetic connection is the piece that is often missing when trainers work with overweight clients. Learn how to create a winning environment that will help your clients move out of a cycle of failure, feel more engaged in a size-friendly environment and develop a deep sense of trust with you and their bodies.

Trust. Honesty. Values. These are the building blocks for building a strong and effective relationship between trainers and clients, particularly those who are struggling with the complex issues related to being overweight or obese.

We’re fast approaching that time of year when all resolve and willpower seem to go out the window. Learn how to motivate your clients to stay on track by helping them make SMARTER health and fitness goals that give them the greatest chances for success.

With the dramatic increases in the rates of obesity and overweight, chances are high that you work with clients who are dealing with the unique challenges that come with a larger body size. Learn how to be size sensitive by seeing beyond the fat, anticipating the physical and emotional challenges that often come with being overweight, and designing movement that creates a pleasurable experience.

Are women really at a disadvantage when it comes to muscle development and fat reduction? ACE Exercise Physiologist Pete McCall weighs in on a research study that looked at women’s ability to do pull-ups after following an upper-body strength training program.

Metabolic conditioning has become a popular buzzword in the industry, but is this type of training really only about gut-busting workouts and pushing your clients to their absolute limits? Not necessarily, according to ACE Exercise Physiologist Pete McCall, who explains how to effectively—and safely—progress you clients’ programs to maximize the benefits they can achieve from metabolic-conditioning workouts.

Understanding a client’s unique personality is essential for establishing rapport, and to help our trainers, ACE has created a Fitness Personality Quiz that determines and assess clients’ predominant personality styles. Check out what ACE Senior Fitness Consultant Dr. Michael Mantell has to say about his personal experience while taking the quiz, and how it can serve as a useful tool during your ACE-based assessment.

Knowing how to connect with your clients in a way that caters to their personal styles can build the foundation for a healthy, lifelong relationship. Learn from ACE Senior Fitness Consultant Dr. Michael Mantell as he discusses the importance of rapport and the role it plays in career success.

Only about 3% of people set goals for themselves and follow them through to the end. Don’t underestimate the value of goal-setting – for yourself and your clients. Determine what your clients want to achieve, have them write it down and help them take steps to turn it into reality.

With “runner’s knee” accounting for up to a quarter of all running injuries, chances are you’ve either had a client recovering from knee soreness or you will have one soon. Check out some ways you can tailor an exercise regimen to clients overcoming Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome (PFPS) and specific exercises you can do to help them avoid re-injury.

The weather is getting warmer, the sun is staying out later, and it’s more pleasant to spend time outdoors enjoying various recreational activities. If you’re like me you may cringe a little bit during this time of year because in my experience when clients start picking up their favorite outdoor activities after a long winter indoors, more often than not they jump right back into their recreational pastime at the same intensity as when they left off in the fall.

Due to their versatility and effectiveness, kettlebells are becoming more of a staple for trainers working with clients of all abilities. While they’re a great way to incorporate whole-body movement, trainers who’ve never used them before should make sure they know what they’re doing before they whip them into client programs. Here are a few things to keep in mind before you begin incorporating kettlebells into your workouts.

In part 1, I discussed how the first two faces of the ACE IFT™ model — Stability and Mobility, and Movement — related to yoga. This time, we’ll take a look at P90X and Crossfit, and how the Load and Performance phases of the ACE IFT Model are related to the popular workout trends.

Small group training has been gaining popularity because it’s an affordable, fun way for clients to take advantage of a trainer’s expertise at a lower financial investment — all while keeping the fun and competitiveness of a group dynamic. How does it differ from one-on-one personal training, and how can you effectively design programs? Find out.

Increase the intensity of your workouts by training like a mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter. Doug Balzarini shows you his top five favorite exercises that he uses when training elite athletes. With upper-body pushing and pulling, lower-body and rotational core movements, these exercises will make you sweat.

Trends come and go in our industry, but one recent trend that has some staying power is small group training. If you’re looking for a way to increase your business in the new year, consider adding small group training to your service options. The January rush might be a great time to start a new small group program. Learn more about it.

As personal trainers and group exercise instructors, we are not selling a tangible item that can be replaced if something goes wrong. Instead, we are marketing and selling a service, which author Harry Beckwith defines as, “the delivery of a promise.” Excellent customer service is important for client retention and acquisition. But what exactly is a high level of customer service and how can you deliver it?

With nearly 40% of adults not exercising sufficiently, and 50% of those who do begin an exercise program discontinuing within the first six months, obtaining and keeping clients can be a major business hurdle for fitness trainers. Become a fitness professional, however, and that hurdle might not be so challenging. Find out what that entails.

Whenever I go into a studio, independent gym or corporate health club, I pay close attention to details such as the equipment, available space for movement, and organization. What are important considerations fitness facilities should take when creating a space that accomodates customers' individual workouts and personal training sessions? See a list of places that do it well.

In the fitness world there are two widely different tastes of a 1-on-1 personal trainer and a group fitness instructor. In many health clubs these two worlds very rarely collide yet they are a magical recipe of success for fitness professionals interested in reaching a new audience of potential clients while simultaneously creating a way to provide additional services to existing ones.

When I was training and teaching group fitness fulltime I was a big education junkie and would always be reading the latest industry literature to learn strategies and techniques for helping clients to achieve goals or design fun and challenging classes. Rather than spending down time in the gym where it might be perceived that I was slacking off during work (even though I was only paid while training clients) it made more sense to me to would use a local Starbucks as my office to catch up on wh